Provost’s Spotlights

Kimberly Klimek, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of the Department of History

Please join me in celebrating Dr. Kim Klimek, Chair and Professor of MSU Denver’s Department of History. Kim recently served as moderator for a conversation between former Governor Roy Romer and Ambassador Ken Salazar about Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), an initiative they helped build and launch. Drawing on her expertise as a historian, Kim connected their reflections on GOCO to the broader history of collaboration, conservation, and public leadership in Colorado. The gathering brought together all five of Colorado’s living governors and other civic leaders to reflect on Governor Romer’s contributions to the state.

Kim has taught at MSU Denver since 2006, teaching courses in medieval and early modern history, women’s history, and world civilizations. Her research explores the intersections of gender and intellectual history, particularly women’s contributions to historical writing, as well as mysticism and philosophical, intellectual, and gendered identities. Her scholarship has taken her to conferences and presentations across the country and abroad, and she received MSU Denver’s Outstanding Women’s Award in 2016. We are grateful for Kim’s leadership and proud of the ways she represents MSU Denver through her scholarship, teaching, and service to Colorado.

Nona Shipman, M.A., Co-Director, One World One Water

Please join me in celebrating Nona Shipman, Co-Director of MSU Denver’s One World One Water (OWOW) Center, whose work connects students, communities, industry, and the world through a shared commitment to water and sustainability. Since joining OWOW in 2013 and becoming co-director in 2022, Nona has expanded the Center’s reach through partnerships with organizations including Denver Botanic Gardens, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and higher education institutions around the world. She has also helped advance research and collaboration on climate change and critical watersheds, including work in Mongolia, Morocco, and across the United States.

Students remain at the heart of Nona’s work. Through initiatives such as the Water Fellows Program and the annual Watershed Summit, she creates opportunities for students to connect with water professionals, explore careers, and engage with real-world challenges. Over her tenure at OWOW, Nona has guided hundreds of students in their academic and professional journeys while helping broaden the voices shaping the future of the water community. We are grateful for Nona’s leadership and proud of the impact she is making through her work with students, partners, and communities.

Kimberly Welp, Post Award Assistant Director, Office of Sponsored Research and Programs

For August, we are pleased to spotlight Kimberly Welp, CPA, MBA, CRA, CFRA, Post Award Assistant Director for OSRP, who was recently honored with the “Future of the Field” recognition from the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI). The program received numerous nominations from across the globe. Nominations were evaluated on, among other factors, significant contributions to the advancement of research administration.

“In a field as dynamic and rapidly evolving as research administration, the need for visionary, adaptable leaders has never been greater,” said Dara C. Little, President of SRAI. “SRAI’s Future of the Field recipients represent the next generation of changemakers.”

Welp serves as an essential bridge between OSRP and MSU Denver’s Sponsored Project Accounting and Compliance (SPAC) services. She has been instrumental in strengthening a culture of compliance at MSU Denver. Through her work streamlining sponsor communications, sub-awards, and the transition from proposals to awards, she has helped strengthen sponsored program operations and is an invaluable asset to the OSRP team.

David Varel, Ph.D., Affiliate Faculty, Department of History

We are also pleased to spotlight faculty member David Varel, Ph.D., who has been awarded a 2026 ACLS Fellowship by the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). The ACLS Fellowship Program is the organization’s longest-running program and supports outstanding scholarship in the humanities and social sciences.

Varel is one of 63 scholars selected from a pool of more than 2,000 applicants through a multi-stage peer review process. ACLS Fellowships provide up to $60,000 to support scholars for 6–12 months of full-time research and writing. Awardees who are independent scholars, affiliate faculty, or have teaching-intensive roles receive an additional stipend between $3,000 and $6,000.

Dr. Varel is receiving the full $66,000 to support the writing of his third book, tentatively titled The Black Chicago School: Academic Activism in the Age of American Apartheid. The book examines the experiences and contributions of Black scholars who pursued graduate education at the University of Chicago during Jim Crow and their roles in challenging scientific racism, building alternative institutions, and participating in social movements that helped lay the groundwork for the mid-twentieth-century civil rights movement.